Power Module Thermal Management

By joint, not by brand. A flat, clamped joint takes the thin reinforced insulator: PROTECT 1500FG (1.5 W/m·K, -100 to 204 °C, V-0 per TDS) or a Sil‑Pad TSP grade (to 3.5 W/m·K at TSP 3500, with TSP 1600S targeting low-pressure mounting and TSP 1800ST adding a soft-tack face). A toleranced, multi-height stack takes a Gap Pad TGP filler (1.0–5.0 W/m·K classes, gauges to roughly 0.250″ per TDS) that conforms instead of bridging. Compare per ASTM D5470 at your pressure and thickness. [1]

Err toward the measured gap, not toward either instinct. Resistance grows with every mil, so the thinnest pad that still fills the worst-case gap at your clamping force is the right answer. Tolerance the gap honestly (height spread, bow, torque relaxation), then use the tradeoff explorer on this page to see both meters move: thinner buys path and risks coverage; thicker buys coverage and costs path. The binding data is the ASTM D5470 impedance table at your pressure on the TDS.

On grounded joints and hot process interfaces. Graphite is electrically conductive in every direction, so it is excluded wherever the interface is part of the insulation system; where isolation is handled elsewhere, eGRAF HiTherm laminates (5/10/20 mil classes, V-0 per TDS) and HT‑C3200 (-40 to 400 °C per TDS) usually win the thermal comparison, and the pure HT‑12xx grades extend past silicone's ceiling entirely. State the joint's electrical role on the drawing so the choice is deliberate.

It moves heat sideways. Natural-graphite spreaders exploit the material's anisotropy (in-plane conductivity far exceeds through-plane, both per ASTM D5470 on the TDS) to carry a hot spot laterally into sink area, cold wall, or chassis mass the component cannot reach. A TIM shortens the path through the joint; a spreader relocates the heat to where a path exists. They are complementary, and a spreader without a destination just shares the problem with the neighbors. [10]

When hardware is absent, crowded out, or untrustworthy over the stack's life. SECURE thermally conductive adhesive films carry the attachment and the thermal path in one thin layer (1500KT2: 53.1 kV/mm per ASTM D149 on the TDS), and remove the dependence on fastener tension that relaxes with cycling. The tradeoffs are permanence and surface prep: settle rework policy and cleanliness before the line runs. H-O laminates SECURE film to SpreaderShield as a single peel-and-place part. [2]

Choose by temperature and exposure. The ArmaGel family (HT, HTL, HTF, XGH, XGC, DT, Rail; all seven grades per the dossier) covers most compartment, duct, and wall duty, with conductivity per ASTM C177 and hot-surface methods per ASTM C411 on the TDSs, and the HTF grade citing UL 1709 rapid-rise fire exposure. Pyrogel XTE takes the hottest blanket duty, rated to 650 °C per the dossier. Both are installation-sensitive: specify cut geometry that preserves loft and edge treatment where moisture is real. [6]

Step to the thin aerogels. SLENTEX mineral-aerogel panels (standard and FR grades per the dossier) insulate walls and covers at panel thickness; AEROLITE rigid aerogel sheet doubles as structure; and AeroZero ultra-thin polymer aerogel film covers electronics-adjacent layers where millimeters decide. The same installation rule applies: aerogel performance lives in its structure, so the cut geometry and fastening must not crush it.

Name both requirements and they sort themselves. ManniGlas glass-fiber paper and mica sheet are inorganic barriers: superb against flame and radiant heat (UL 94 listings per the ManniGlas TDS), modest as bulk insulation. Aerogel blanket is the insulator, with fire behavior that is grade-specific (ArmaGel HTF cites UL 1709; SLENTEX has an FR grade). Where a wall needs both steady-state insulation and a fire rating, the two-layer construction is normal, and H-O laminates barrier and insulation as one converted part. [5]

Where the specification asks aerospace questions: FST data on the insulation itself (smoke density per ASTM E662 and flame propagation per FAR 25.856 on the TDS), minimum weight, and acoustic absorption in the same part, with HT‑340 carrying a UL 94 V-0 listing. The project audit flags SOLIMIDE as most justified in nuclear-grade and similarly high-spec installations; for standard switchgear compartments, the aerogel and glass-paper families usually deliver the duty at better value, and our review will say so. [7]

Many grades do, and the rating is per grade, not per family: PROTECT 1500FG, the SECURE films, the eGRAF HiTherm laminates, and Sil‑Pad TSP 900 list UL 94 V-0 on their TDSs; ManniGlas carries UL 94 listings; SOLIMIDE HT‑340 lists V-0. Severe-duty fire performance is a different question answered by different methods (ASTM E84 surface burning; UL 1709 rapid-rise exposure, cited on the ArmaGel HTF TDS). H-O converts materials tested to these methods; we do not independently certify them. [8]

H-O and converts. We take pad, film, blanket, paper, and foam stock from the material manufacturers and die-cut, CNC knife-cut, kiss-cut on liner, slit, and laminate it to your drawing; we do not manufacture the raw materials in-house. What we do in Winsted, Connecticut is precision conversion: pads to the module footprint, blanket to compartment geometry with loft clearance, spreader-adhesive laminations as one part, and material traceability with lot-code TDS records.

H-O is a die-cutter and converter, so every thermal part is made-to-order to your drawing, including samples and prototypes. We maintain working material relationships with the TIM, graphite, aerogel, and foam manufacturers and work from material we commonly convert for faster turnaround.

Samples typically ship in 3–5 business days for common configurations on materials we commonly convert. Standard production runs ship about 2 weeks after drawing approval, including kiss-cut-on-liner and laminated configurations. Expedited service is available when timing is critical. MOQ varies by material and part; prototype quantities through full production runs are equally accepted. Send the drawing and quantity through the form below for a specific lead-time commitment with your quote.

In most cases, yes. If your drawing calls out a thermal pad, gap filler, graphite film, aerogel blanket, or barrier material by a brand part number, send it through the form and engineering will identify a comparable grade from the lines we convert, matching on the spec-relevant properties: impedance class per ASTM D5470 at your pressure, thickness and softness, electrical role, service temperature, and the fire or insulation methods the wall requires.

We provide an industry cross-reference, not a guaranteed drop-in: the recommendation is verified against the vendor TDS for your application before quoting.